Systems, methods and devices for remote control locomotive training

ABSTRACT

According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of systems, methods and devices related to remote control locomotive training. In an exemplary embodiment, a remote control locomotive training system includes a locomotive control unit coupled to a locomotive and configured to control operation of the locomotive, and a trainee operator control unit in wireless communication with the locomotive control unit. The trainee operator control unit includes a first wireless interface to transmit one or more commands to the locomotive control unit. The system also includes a trainer operator control unit in wireless communication with the trainee operator control unit via a second wireless interface. The trainer operator control unit is configured to monitor the trainee operator control unit by receiving messages from the trainee operator control unit indicative of the one or more commands transmitted from the trainee operator control unit to the locomotive control unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of allowed U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/872,624 filed Jan. 16, 2018 (published as US2019/0206274 onJul. 4, 2019), which, in turn, claims the benefit of and priority toU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/611,374 filed Dec. 28, 2017. Theentire disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to systems, methods and devicesfor remote control locomotive training.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

In the remote control locomotive (RCL) industry, significant training isinvolved in initial certification and periodic recertification. An RCLsystem is not able to support more than two handheld operator controlunits (OCUs) at one time due to industry rules. This training requiresthat a trainer and a trainee work together in the rail yard. It istypical for a two-person crew to operate a single locomotive.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a remote control locomotive training systemaccording to one example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the example trainee operator control unitshown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the system of FIG. 1 including a secondtrainee operator control unit and a second trainer operator controlunit.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

The inventors have recognized that in current methods of remote controllocomotive (RCL) training, the trainer shadows the trainee and relies onobservations and two-way radio communication to control the RCL systemif the trainee is not following rules or performing unsafe actions withthe locomotive. In some cases, the trainer cannot directly observe theactions of the trainee when they are riding on opposite sides of alocomotive car.

Disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of systems, methods anddevices for RCL training. In some embodiments, a trainer operatorcontrol unit (OCU) can view feedback (e.g., talkback) messages from thelocomotive that is being used for training. The trainer OCU may viewswitch settings of the trainer OCU controlling the locomotive used fortraining. In some cases, the trainer OCU can only monitor one trainerOCU at a time.

The trainer OCU may be able to command an emergency brake application(e.g., through an independent brake override, a tilt timeout, etc.), butmay not be able to override any other commands from the trainer OCU thatit is supervising. The system may command a full brake application ifthe trainer OCU loses communication with the trainee OCU for apredetermined timeout period.

In some cases, the system can command a full brake application if thetrainer OCU and the trainee OCU that the trainer is monitoring becomemore than a threshold distance (e.g., one hundred feet, etc.) apart.This penalty may not be instant, and a warning tone and/or countdowncould occur on the OCUs in order to provide a reasonable time for thetrainer and trainee to resolve the issue (e.g., move within one hundredfeet, etc.). In these cases, the OCUs may each include a globalnavigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna (e.g., a GPS antenna, etc.)to determine a distance between the OCUs.

The trainer OCU may look similar to OCUs that are able to operate thelocomotive, but the trainer OCU may not communicate directly to thelocomotive remote control equipment. Instead, the trainer OCU canmaintain a separate wireless link with a trainee OCU that is controllingthe RCL for the purposes of monitoring the commands issued by a trainee.In this manner, two trainees can operate the locomotive while beingmonitored by the trainers that are job-shadowing them. As describedabove, the trainer would have the capability of overriding the traineeby commanding a locomotive emergency brake application if the trainersaw the trainee performing an unsafe action.

For example, the trainer OCU could display everything that the traineeOCU shows, but may not be capable of operating the locomotive. Thetrainer OCU may only be capable of overriding commands from the traineeOCU by sending the override command through an RF link between thetrainer OCU and the trainee OCU, and the trainee OCU could then relaythe command to the locomotive.

As described above, the trainee OCU may command a penalty brakeapplication to the locomotive if the distance between trainer OCU andthe trainee OCU exceeds a predefined limit. The distance could bemeasured by GPS coordinates (or other satellite navigation systemcoordinates) sourced from an on-board GPS receiver in the OCUs. The OCUscould post a warning to alert the trainer and trainee if the distancebetween the trainer and trainee OCUs approaches a specified (e.g.,predefined) limit. In some cases, the trainer OCU could have tiltprotection that would relay a penalty message to the trainee OCU if thetrainer OCU exceeds the tilt timeout period.

In some embodiments, the trainer OCU would be paired to the trainee OCUafter the trainee OCU is assigned to the locomotive. The RF link betweenthe trainer OCU and the trainee OCU would be separate from the RF linkthat is used by the trainee OCU to communicate with the locomotive.

With reference to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates an example remotecontrol locomotive training system 100 according to some aspects of thepresent disclosure. The system 100 includes a locomotive control unit102 coupled to a locomotive 104. The locomotive control unit 102 isconfigured to control operation of the locomotive 104, and may includeany suitable locomotive control unit (e.g., machine control unit, etc.)as described herein.

The system 100 also includes a trainee operator control unit 106 inwireless communication with the locomotive control unit 102. The traineeoperator control unit 106 includes a first wireless interface 108configured to transmit one or more commands to the locomotive controlunit 102. For example, as described herein, the trainee operator controlunit 106 may receive commands from a trainee operator 110, and transmitthe commands to the locomotive control unit 102 to control thelocomotive 104.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 further includes a trainer operatorcontrol unit 112. The trainer operator control unit 112 is in wirelesscommunication with the trainee operator control unit 106 via a secondwireless interface 114 of the trainee operator control unit 106.

The trainer operator control unit 112 is configured to monitor thetrainee operator control unit 106 by receiving messages from the traineeoperator control unit 106 indicative of the one or more commandstransmitted from the trainee operator control unit 106 to the locomotivecontrol unit 102. Therefore, a trainer operator 116 can monitor thetrainee operator 110. For example, the trainer operator control unit 112may be configured to display the same information that is displayed on adisplay screen of the trainee operator control unit 106.

In some embodiments, the trainer operator control unit 112 may not be inwireless communication with the locomotive control unit 102. Forexample, the trainer operator control unit 112 may be in wirelesscommunication with only the trainee operator control unit 106.

As described above, the trainee operator control unit 106 includes afirst wireless interface 108 and a second wireless interface 114. Thefirst wireless interface 108 may be separate from the second wirelessinterface 114, and may operate according to a different wirelesscommunication protocol.

For example, the first wireless interface 108 may be a radio frequency(RF) wireless interface for establishing an RF communication channelbetween the trainee operator control unit 106 and the locomotive controlunit 102. The second wireless interface 114 may be a Wi-Fi wirelessinterface for establishing an RF communication channel between traineeoperator control unit 106 and the trainer operator control unit 112.Therefore, the trainee operator control unit 106 may communicate withthe locomotive control unit 102 and the trainer operator control unit112 via separate wireless communication channels.

In some embodiments, the trainer operator control unit 112 may beconfigured to transmit an emergency brake application override commandto the trainee operator control unit 106. In that case, the traineeoperator control unit 106 is configured to relay the emergency brakeapplication override command to the locomotive control unit 102.

For example, the emergency brake application override command can allowthe trainer operator 116 to stop operation of the locomotive 104 via thetrainee operator control unit 106 if the trainer operator 116 determinesthat the trainee operator 110 is performing an unsafe operation, etc.

The trainer operator control unit 112 may not be able to communicatewith the locomotive control unit 102 directly, and may not be able tocontrol the locomotive control unit 102 in any manner other than issuingthe emergency brake application override command via the traineeoperator control unit 106.

In some embodiments, the trainee operator control unit 106 may beconfigured to transmit a brake application override command (e.g.,penalty brake application) to the locomotive control unit 102 when adistance (D in FIG. 1) between the trainer operator control unit 112 andthe trainee operator control unit 106 exceeds a threshold distance for aspecified threshold duration of time.

For example, if the trainer operator control unit 112 and traineeoperator control unit 106 exceed a separation distance that may affectthe quality of wireless signal transmission between the trainer operatorcontrol unit 112 and trainee operator control unit 106 for a specifiedamount of time (e.g., thirty seconds, one minute, etc.), the traineeoperator control unit 106 may automatically transmit the brakeapplication override command to the locomotive control unit 102. In somecases, system brake events such as a timeout between the operatorcontrol units, an exceeded distance between the operator control units,etc., may have a lower severity brake application than the emergencyoverride brake application command from the trainer operator controlunit 112.

In some embodiments, the trainer operator control unit 112 and/or thetrainee operator control unit 106 may be configured to display a warningwhen the distance between the trainer operator control unit 112 and thetrainee operator control unit 106 approaches the threshold distance.This can give the trainer operator 116 and/or the trainee operator 110an opportunity to return to a safe distance to continue operating thelocomotive 104.

The trainer operator control unit 112 may include one or more tiltsensing devices. In that case, the trainer operator control unit 112 canbe configured to transmit the brake application command to the traineeoperator control unit 106 when the tilt sensor detects a tilt event fora specified tilt duration of time (e.g., five seconds, thirty seconds,one minute, etc.).

For example, if the trainer operator 116 falls down and the tilt sensordetects the tilt event for the specified duration of time, the traineroperator control unit 112 transmits the brake application command to thetrainee operator control unit 106 because the trainer operator 116 is nolonger able to monitor the trainee operator 110.

In some embodiments, the trainer operator control unit 112 is configuredto establish a paired wireless connection via the second wirelessinterface 114 of the trainee operator control unit 106 after the traineeoperator control unit 106 has paired with the locomotive control unit102 via the first wireless interface 108. Therefore, the traineeoperator control unit 106 may pair with the locomotive control unit 102before pairing with the trainer operator control unit 112.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the trainee operator control unit106 shown in FIG. 1. The trainee operator control unit 106 includes auser interface 218 for receiving input (e.g., commands, etc.) from anoperator. The user interface may include a display 220, which can be anysuitable display (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), light emittingdiodes (LED), indicator lights, etc.). The user interface may include aninput 222, which can include any suitable input element(s) (e.g., akeypad, touchscreen, switches, etc.).

As described above, the trainee operator control unit 106 also includesfirst and second wireless interfaces 108 and 114. The wirelessinterfaces 108 and 114 may communicate with the respective locomotivecontrol unit 102 and trainer operator control unit 112 using anysuitable wireless communication protocol (e.g., an RF channel, a Wi-Ficonnection, etc.). The trainee operator control unit 106 may include aglobal navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna 224 for determining alocation of the trainee operator control unit 106. For example, the GNSSantenna 224 may be a global positioning system (GPS) antenna.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example system 300 according to another exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. The system 300 is similar to thesystem 100 of FIG. 1, but further includes a second trainee operatorcontrol unit 326 and a second trainer operator control unit 332.

The second trainee operator control unit 326 is in wirelesscommunication with the locomotive control unit 102 via a first wirelessinterface 328 of the second trainee operator control unit 326, and thesecond trainee operator control unit 326 is in wireless communicationwith the second trainer operator control unit 332 via a second wirelessinterface 334 of the second trainee operator control unit 326. Thisallows a second trainer operator 336 to monitor a second traineeoperator 330.

In some embodiments, a trainer OCU may be similar to a trainee OCU, butthe trainer OCU does not include a wireless radio that communicates witha remote control locomotive. Therefore, the trainer OCU may be universalfor multiple (e.g., all) RF protocols. The trainer OCU could have avisual indication (e.g., a different membrane) to make it clear that thetrainer OCU it is not a production OCU that is capable of operating alocomotive directly.

One example process for pairing a trainer OCU with a trainee OCU isdescribed below. After a trainee OCU completes an assignment (e.g., aninfrared (IR) assignment, etc.) to a LCU, a time window (e.g., atwo-minute window, etc.) of pairing opportunity may open. While thistime window of opportunity is open, the trainee OCU may have an optionavailable in a menu of the trainee OCU to pair with a trainer OCU. Thismenu option may be hidden after this time window of opportunity closes.

The time window of opportunity could be opened following a power-up(which may occur after a successful OCU assignment). The trainer andtrainee OCUs may be linked to one another until the trainee OCU isassigned to another locomotive system, the assignment is cleared fromthe trainee and/or trainer OCU, etc.

If a menu option is exercised, the trainee OCU display can prompt a userto have the trainer OCU powered up in IR assignment mode and to align IRwindows between the trainee OCU and the potential Trainer OCU.Alternatively, or in addition, the pairing could occur via BLUETOOTH. IfBLUETOOTH is used to perform the pairing, a method of confirmation thatthe intended devices are being paired may be used to distinguish betweenmultiple OCUs in the locomotive cab.

If pairing is successful, the two OCUs can exchange information tocreate a network exclusively between the trainer and trainee OCUs via aWi-Fi radio. If alignment and data transfer does not completesuccessfully, the OCU display will alert the user and extend the windowof opportunity to attempt a retry of the pairing process. Pairingbetween the trainer and trainee OCUs can be cancelled if either OCUassignment information changes.

Once paired, the trainer OCU can maintain Wi-Fi communication with thetrainee OCU by sending data in a Wi-Fi poll to the trainee OCU. The datamay include one or more status flags for, e.g., a tilt fault, a locationwarning, etc. A sequence number or code may be forwarded by a masterprocessor, the number or code may change with each assignment or eachpoll, and the number or code may be decoded by the trainee masterprocessor for the message to be considered valid.

The trainer OCU can display a copy of LED(s), LCD(s), etc. of thetrainee OCU to which it is paired. Some data may come from an LCU onlinepoll that is forwarded from the trainee OCU through the Wi-Fi link. Thestate of the current OCU switches may be forwarded through the Wi-Filink from the trainee OCU and not from the forwarded poll.

The trainer OCU can calculate a distance between the trainee and trainerOCUs based on its own GPS coordinates and the trainee OCU GPScoordinates that are forwarded from the trainee OCU. If the calculateddistance exceeds a specified distance (e.g., one hundred feet, etc.),the location warning bit can be set and the trainer OCU can start alocation warning indication. In some embodiments, the trainee couldperform verification (e.g., redundantly) based on GPS coordinatesobtained from the trainer OCU.

The trainer OCU may have the ability to override the active trainee OCUfor emergency brake application using an independent brake override,tilt override, etc. In these cases, the trainee OCU may be required toforward the overridden data to the LCU through online or offline polls.

Once paired, the trainee OCU may maintain Wi-Fi communication with thetrainer OCU by sending data in response to trainer OCU polls. The datamay include an online poll received from the LCU, current switchselections of the trainee OCU (intended to help teach certain featureswhere the talkback message does not indicate the switch settings such aspitch and catch procedures), GPS coordinates of the trainee OCU, asequence number or code that is forwarded by a master processor, etc.

The trainee OCU may function normally other than the communication tothe trainer OCU. If the OCU sends an emergency override, the trainee OCUforwards this data to the LCU. If the trainee OCU receives a messagefrom the trainer OCU indicating a location warning event, the locationwarning indication starts.

As described herein, the example trainer and trainee operator controlunits may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, integrated circuit,digital signal processor, etc., which may include memory. The operatorcontrol units may be configured to perform (e.g., operable to perform,etc.) any of the example processes described herein using any suitablehardware and/or software implementation. For example, the operatorcontrol units may execute computer-executable instructions stored in amemory, may include one or more logic gates, control circuitry, etc.

According to another example embodiment, a trainee operator control unitfor a locomotive includes a user interface configured to receive one ormore commands from an operator for controlling a locomotive, and a firstwireless interface configured to transmit the one or more commands to alocomotive control unit of a locomotive.

The trainee operator control unit also includes a second wirelessinterface configured to transmit messages to a trainer operator controlunit. The messages are indicative of the one or more commandstransmitted from the trainee operator control unit to the locomotivecontrol unit to allow the trainer operator control unit to monitor thetrainee operator control unit.

The trainee operator control unit may be configured to receive anemergency brake application override command from the trainer operatorcontrol unit via the second wireless interface, and to relay theemergency brake application override command to the locomotive controlunit via the first wireless interface. In some cases, the traineeoperator control unit can be configured to transmit a brake applicationoverride command to the locomotive control unit when a distance betweenthe trainer operator control unit and the trainee operator control unitexceeds a threshold distance for a specified threshold duration of time.

According to a further example embodiment, a remote control locomotivetraining system includes a locomotive control unit coupled to alocomotive and configured to control operation of the locomotive, and atrainer operator control unit in wireless communication with thelocomotive control unit via a first wireless interface.

The system also includes a trainee operator control unit in wirelesscommunication with the trainer operator control unit via a secondwireless interface of the trainer operator control unit. For example,the trainer operator control unit may be linked with the traineeoperator control unit via a Wi-Fi connection, and linked with thelocomotive control unit via an RF connection.

The trainee operator control unit is configured to receive one or morecommands from an operator for controlling a locomotive, and transmit thereceived one or more commands to the trainer operator control unit. Thetrainer operator control unit is configured to monitor the one or morecommands and to relay the one or more commands to the locomotive controlunit.

In some embodiments, the trainer operator control unit is configured toreceive a brake application override command from a user interface ofthe trainer operator control unit, and to transmit the brake applicationoverride command to the locomotive control unit via the first wirelessinterface.

The trainer operator control unit may be configured to transmit apenalty brake application command to the locomotive control unit when adistance between the trainer operator control unit and the traineeoperator control unit exceeds a threshold distance for a specifiedthreshold duration of time.

According to another example embodiment, an exemplary method for remotecontrol locomotive training is disclosed. The exemplary method generallyincludes controlling operation of a locomotive via a locomotive controlunit coupled to the locomotive, and wirelessly transmitting one or morecommands from a trainee operator control unit to the locomotive controlunit via a first wireless interface of the trainee operator controlunit.

The method also includes monitoring the trainee operator control unitusing a trainer operator control unit in wireless communication with thetrainee operator control unit via a second wireless interface of thetrainee operator control unit, by receiving messages from the traineeoperator control unit indicative of the one or more commands transmittedfrom the trainee operator control unit to the locomotive control unit.The trainer operator control unit may be in wireless communication withonly the trainee operator control unit.

In some embodiments, the trainee operator control unit is a firstoperator control unit and the trainer operator control unit is a firstoperator control unit. In those cases, the method further includeswirelessly transmitting one or more commands from a second traineeoperator control unit to the locomotive control unit via a firstwireless interface of the second trainee operator control unit, andmonitoring the second trainee operator control unit using a secondtrainer operator control unit in wireless communication with the secondtrainee operator control unit via a second wireless interface of thesecond trainee operator control unit, by receiving messages from thesecond trainee operator control unit indicative of the one or morecommands transmitted from the second trainee operator control unit tothe locomotive control unit.

The method may include transmitting an emergency brake applicationoverride command from the trainer operator control unit to the traineeoperator control unit, and relaying the emergency brake applicationoverride command from the trainee operator control unit to thelocomotive control unit. In some cases, the method may includetransmitting a brake application override command to the locomotivecontrol unit when a distance between the trainee control unit and thetrainer operator control unit exceeds a threshold distance for aspecified threshold duration of time.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail. In addition, advantages and improvements that maybe achieved with one or more exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure are provided for purposes of illustration only and do notlimit the scope of the present disclosure, as exemplary embodimentsdisclosed herein may provide all or none of the above mentionedadvantages and improvements and still fall within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Specific dimensions, specific materials, and/or specific shapesdisclosed herein are example in nature and do not limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. The disclosure herein of particular values andparticular ranges of values for given parameters are not exclusive ofother values and ranges of values that may be useful in one or more ofthe examples disclosed herein. Moreover, it is envisioned that any twoparticular values for a specific parameter stated herein may define theendpoints of a range of values that may be suitable for the givenparameter (i.e., the disclosure of a first value and a second value fora given parameter can be interpreted as disclosing that any valuebetween the first and second values could also be employed for the givenparameter). For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to havevalue A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned thatparameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z.Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges ofvalues for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping ordistinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value thatmight be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example,if parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may haveother ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3,3-10, and 3-9.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements, intended orstated uses, or features of a particular embodiment are generally notlimited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, areinterchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if notspecifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in manyways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from thedisclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a trainee operator controlunit configured for wireless communication with a locomotive controlunit for transmitting one or more commands to the locomotive controlunit; and a trainer operator control unit configured for wirelesscommunication with the trainee operator control unit, the traineroperator control unit configured to monitor the trainee operator controlunit by receiving messages from the trainee operator control unitindicative of the one or more commands transmitted from the traineeoperator control unit to the locomotive control unit; wherein thetrainer operator control unit is configured to transmit a brakeapplication override command to the trainee operator control unit, andthe trainee operator control unit is configured to relay the brakeapplication override command and/or a stop command to the locomotivecontrol unit.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein: the trainee operatorcontrol unit includes a first wireless interface for transmitting one ormore commands to the locomotive control unit, and a second wirelessinterface; and the trainer operator control unit is configured forwireless communication with the trainee operator control unit via thesecond wireless interface of the trainee operator control unit.
 3. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the trainer operator control unit isconfigured to establish a paired wireless connection with the traineeoperator control unit via the second wireless interface of the traineeoperator control unit, after the trainee operator control unit haspaired with the locomotive control unit via the first wirelessinterface.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the trainee operatorcontrol unit includes: a radio frequency wireless interface fortransmitting one or more commands to the locomotive control unit; and aWi-Fi wireless interface for wireless communication with the traineroperator control unit.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the traineroperator control unit is configured for wireless communication with onlythe trainee operator control unit, and/or wherein the trainer operatorcontrol unit is not configured for wireless communication with thelocomotive control unit.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein: the traineeoperator control unit is a first trainee operator control unit; thetrainer operator control unit is a first trainer operator control unit;and the system further comprises a second trainee operator control unitand a second trainer operator control unit.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein: the first trainee operator control unit is configured forwireless communication with the locomotive control unit via a firstwireless interface of the first trainee operator control unit; and thefirst trainer operator control unit is configured for wirelesscommunication with the first trainee operator control unit via a secondwireless interface of the first trainee operator control unit; thesecond trainee operator control unit is configured for wirelesscommunication with the locomotive control unit via a first wirelessinterface of the second trainee operator control unit; and the secondtrainer operator control unit is configured for wireless communicationwith the second trainee operator control unit via a second wirelessinterface of the second trainee operator control unit.
 8. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the trainee operator control unit is configured totransmit the brake application override command and/or stop command whena distance between the trainer operator control unit and the traineeoperator control unit exceeds a threshold distance for a specifiedthreshold duration of time.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein thetrainer operator control unit and the trainee operator control unit areeach configured to display a warning when the distance between thetrainer operator control unit and the trainee operator control unitapproaches the threshold distance.
 10. The system of claim 1, whereinthe trainer operator control unit includes at least one tilt sensor, andthe trainer operator control unit is configured to transmit the brakeapplication override command to the trainee operator control unit whenthe at least one tilt sensor detects a tilt event for a specified tiltduration of time.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the traineroperator control unit is configured to display the same information thatis displayed on a display screen of the trainee operator control unit.12. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes thelocomotive control unit that is coupled to a locomotive and configuredto control operation of the locomotive.
 13. A system comprising: atrainer operator control unit configured for wireless communication witha locomotive control unit; and a trainee operator control unitconfigured for wireless communication with the trainer operator controlunit, the trainee operator control unit configured to receive one ormore commands for controlling a locomotive and transmit the received oneor more commands to the trainer operator control unit, the traineroperator control unit configured to monitor for the one or more commandstransmitted to the locomotive control unit from the trainee operatorcontrol unit; wherein the trainer operator control unit is configured totransmit a brake application override command to the trainee operatorcontrol unit; and wherein the trainee operator control unit isconfigured to receive the brake application override command from thetrainer operator control unit, and to transmit the brake applicationoverride command to the locomotive control unit.
 14. The system of claim13, wherein: the trainer operator control unit is configured forwireless communication with the locomotive control unit via a firstwireless interface of the trainer operator control unit; and the traineeoperator control unit is configured for wireless communication with thetrainer operator control unit via a second wireless interface of thetrainer operator control unit.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein thetrainer operator control unit is configured to transmit a penalty brakeapplication command when a distance between the trainer operator controlunit and the trainee operator control unit exceeds a threshold distancefor a specified threshold duration of time.
 16. The system of claim 13,wherein the trainer operator control unit and the trainee operatorcontrol unit are each configured to display a warning when a distancebetween the trainer operator control unit and the trainee operatorcontrol unit approaches a threshold distance.
 17. The system of claim13, wherein the trainer operator control unit includes at least one tiltsensor, and the trainer operator control unit is configured to transmitthe brake application override command to the trainee operator controlunit when the at least one tilt sensor detects a tilt event for aspecified tilt duration of time.
 18. The system of claim 1, wherein thetrainer operator control unit is configured to display the sameinformation that is displayed on a display screen of the traineeoperator control unit.
 19. The system of claim 13, wherein the systemfurther includes the locomotive control unit that is coupled to alocomotive and configured to control operation of the locomotive.
 20. Atrainee operator control unit comprising a first wireless interface anda second wireless interface, wherein: the trainee operator control unitis configured for wireless communication with a locomotive control unitvia the first wireless interface for transmitting one or more commandsto the locomotive control unit; the trainee operator control unit isconfigured for wireless communication with a trainer operator controlunit via the second wireless interface, the trainer operator controlunit configured to transmit a brake application override command to thetrainee operator control unit; and wherein the trainee operator controlunit is configured for receiving the brake application override commandfrom the trainer operator control unit via the second wirelessinterface, and for transmitting the brake application override commandto the locomotive control unit via the first wireless interface.